Blogfinger

Sunday July 2, 2017, 3:45 pm. Why is the beach closed in the morning and open in the afternoon? This is the Jersey Shore! Paul Goldfinger photo.

By Paul Goldfinger, Editor, Blogfinger.net

6/24/23.   At the Saturday meeting of the HOA, one of the agenda items was to have Trustee Barbara Burns, a lawyer and past president, speak about the Sunday morning beach closures.

This issue has been around for a long time, and most people seem  to accept it, but there is chronic grumbling. Visitors to town  are surprised and dissatisfied.  Proprietors of B & B’s and hotels are  perpetually frustrated by the situation.

New home owners lately often hate the idea, and recently some residents have decided to push for change.

In April, at an HOA meeting, a woman revealed that she insisted on entering the beach on Sunday morning and that the CMA President Badger allowed her to do so if she kept the arrangement secret. But she came out with her peculiar story, and we wrote about it:

https://wp.me/pqmj2-QwK

A group of Grovers have lately been challenging the closure by entering the beach  at 10 am each Sunday.  Invariably they are  challenged by the gate keepers, and unpleasantness often ensues.  The guards accuse the interlopers of “trespassing.”   But this is not trespassing.

Sometimes the Neptune police are  called, so they would come, have a discussion, do nothing,  and leave.  This is because  CMA rules cannot be enforced or extinguished by the Neptune Police who can only enforce laws created by the Township.

Ms. Burns explained about the difference between Neptune ordinances and CMA rules.  She said that if the police were called, they had to respond, but no town laws were being broken by the beach demonstrators.

The Grovers who have been  challenging the Sunday rules on the beach  are  getting frustrated by the confrontations when they want to enjoy the beach and have a comfortable demonstration.

The truth is that anyone can lawfully go on the beach Sunday morning, but they may be rattled  by the inevitable challenges and  police visits.

Some at the meeting insisted that the Township should order the CMA to stop calling the police. But no—not going to happen. And to consider police activity at these Sunday interactions as “harassment,” is just wrong.

Committeeman Lane was at the meeting, but he had no solution for the dilemma.

Someone pointed out that surfers can come and go as they please, so why not Grovers and others?

The funny thing is that the CMA never explains why this rule exists, so people make up their own stories, and it usually has to do with encouraging Christians to come to services.

The CMA is perhaps embarrassed to admit the real reasons and that they cannot really enforce their rule, so why discuss it?

Ms. Burns had no definite solution either, but the truth is that compliance with the Sunday morning beach ban is voluntary.  And there is no penalty for non-compliance.

But most people accept the rule and are willing to stay home or sit on the boards and wait till noon. They allow themselves to be intimidated by the Camp Meeting.

There are quite a few incongruous aspects to life in Ocean Grove, and much of it can be traced to the CMA which  continues to pretend that this town is theirs and that their quest for a “Christian Seaside Resort” can be accomplished.  They own the land but not the town, consisting of citizens and their freedoms and rights.

As you know, there  have been variety of  clashes here lately, and most of them boil down to failure of Neptune Twp. to enforce the separation of church and state. And The Neptune United will not succeed by lashing out with nonsense and viciousness.

But also, the HOA needs to ban all attacks on the CMA at their meetings.  They are the bullies lately.

Twenty years ago no one complained publicly about the CMA’s religious practices, now referred to as religious bullying. But that sort of acceptance is now over.

The town’s demographics continue to change, and with  more of a secular presence, and more people feel that it is time to challenge this pseudo-theocracy and its arrangements with the Neptune governance.     It seems inevitable, but how that will happen is unclear.

Part of the reason that change is so difficult is  because the CMA is a shadowy presence.  Who are they?   Why is Michael Badger the only face that we or the press ever sees.

How can productive discussions occur when the CMA will consider no alternatives and continue hiding in the loft or wherever they are?

Change is always inevitable around the world and even here in OG. The CMA will have to accept that fact and accept the presence of American democracy. Their religion will be protected, but the rights of OG residents also must be enforced.

Maybe the beginning will be when everyone joins the protest and walks onto the beach  each Sunday.

MANOS HADJIDAKIS   Main Title from the movie…”Never On Sunday”